The Pen Is Mightier

Writing things down is something I've consistently left and gone back to through my life. 

One of my earliest childhood memories is wishing I had a notebook so that I could fill the endless fresh blank pages with whatever scribblings I chose. I didn't know that it was called a notebook, and didn't know how to ask for one: I just knew I had seen one, and I wanted one of my own. I kept opening my books hoping to find some surprise blank pages I hadn't noticed before. I finally settled for defacing one of my beloved Care Bears books. The book lover in me cringes about it now but hey, I learned out how to ask for things and also that we don't write in books.

Over the years I've dabbled with writing things down. I'm an obsessive list-maker. It makes me feel in control, and helps me get things done. I'm a lazy journaler, going through short bursts that have resulted in a sad collection of those much-desired notebooks with a few first pages filled, the rest still blazing white, waiting, often for years, for me to return.

I'm a blog dabbler. I've written about it all, in various places. Sometimes I have more to things to say than others. Maybe you've noticed. 

In college I was a furious note taker, a meticulous, neurotic student. It earned me a fancy GPA, but looking back on it I often wished I had been better able to find a balance between seeking perfection in my grades, and living in the moment. Perhaps I would've done better to sit back and listen in class, to take it in rather than try to write it all down. But I just didn't know any other way. When exam time came I'd study my notes, re-write them onto notecards, write outlines of essays I knew might come up on the test, then anxiously focus on remembering how to fill them in. I specifically remember one of my very last history finals my senior year of college: I walked in, saw the questions, immediately wrote down my outlines on some scratch paper, and banged it out in one of those little blue exam notebooks (You remember those, don't you?) like it was nothing. I aced it. It worked for me. 

Writing things down still works for me. It helps me assess data, it helps me feel organized. I don't know that I'll ever be able to go fully electronic for certain things. There's just something about putting pen to paper, and seeing it right in front of you. 

Recently one of my rowing coaches has been mentioning that we should start writing things down. Brief notes on our workout that day, coaching tips and points she's given us. To be able to review it, to help remember. Last week I finally started to actually do it, and it reminded me of why I love learning via writing. I also happened to stumble across this article, which let me know I'm in good company. And that this time I should really stick with the journaling. Writing this all out has reminded me that I should stick with the chilling out, too.

Photo from npr.org.

"Why do you do what you do? What is the engine that keeps you up late at night or gets you going in the morning? Where is your happy place? What stands between you and your ultimate dream?"

Friday Find: The Mixed-Up Brothers Of Bogotá

A few of my friends have shared this article recently on social media, and it's stuck with me.

Two pairs of identical twins were mixed up in the hospital at birth, and raised as two pairs of fraternal twins. 

Read the article here.

Photo from newyorktimes.com.

Summer Dish: Delicious, Easy Quinoa Salad

This is more methodology than recipe because I don't have very many exact measurements. But I like this dish so much and it's gone over so well at a few gatherings recently that I wanted to share. It's perfect for summer. Light enough to be a side, substantial enough to be a main. Refreshing, with a variety of textures. Chewy, crunchy, zingy, tangy, cool, salty. It's flexible. I've made it a few different ways, and it's never come out badly. It's great over greens as a meal, or alongside your favorite grilled protein and vegetables. I bet it would be delicious with mint, parsley, and/or avocado. And best of all, it comes together quickly.

Quinoa or a quinoa blend is tossed with olive oil and lemon, then mixed with cucumber, feta, pistachios, dried cranberries, and roasted chickpeas.

I've used a mix of red and white quinoa, and also this blend with amaranth, which I found at Costco. I think this blend is my favorite as a base, but I'd bet any sturdy grain will do.

Photo from sonomavalleyfarms.com

Preheat your oven to 425.

Cook a full serving of your grain (usually one cup dry) according to the instructions. If there is a suggestion for getting it to come out drier, do that. You want your quinoa light and fluffy, and for it to not stick together. I do mine in the rice cooker and it comes out perfectly every time. 

Once it's done cooking, immediately take it out of the pot and spread it out on a sheet pan or up around the sides of a large bowl so that it cools quickly.

While your quinoa is cooking, you can tend to the other stuff. 

Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans, or take this opportunity to smugly fetch the beans you cooked yourself, you big show-off. Scatter rinsed beans on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. You need enough to very lightly coat your beans. If you're unsure how much that is, start with a little and add more as needed. See, this is why I can't call this a recipe. I'm guessing you need half a tablespoon or so. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of paprika. Use your hand to mix the beans together until evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Shake the pan so they spread out as evenly as possible. Ideally you want a little space in between each one so they can get a little crispy. Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, shaking and flipping them once or twice as they cook. I think they take closer to 20 minutes to get a little browned. 

While your quinoa & beans are going, peel, seed, and dice an English cucumber, or roughly 4-5 of those small Persian cucumbers. Zest a lemon and cut it in half. Or save that to do directly over the mix later, if you want fewer dirty dishes. (Also prep any other ingredients you might want to add. Olives, mint, parsley, tomatoes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. For what it's worth, my general rule is to follow a recipe right once the first time, then freestyle it as desired if I make it again.)

To the cooled quinoa add a few glugs of olive oil, the zest of one lemon, the juice of half a lemon, and generous sprinklings of salt and pepper. You may need more later, but I do all this to taste, and again, I'm sorry I don't have measurements. Stir up your quinoa, give it a taste. Add more olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed. If it seems dry, sprinkle a little water on it. We're talking a tablespoon at a time. It makes a world of difference adding a little water here to drier, fluffy quinoa, rather than adding it during the cooking process. Taste again, adjust again.

Once you've got your grains heartily seasoned, stir in all of the cucumber, a handful of dried cranberries, a handful of pistachios, about a third of a regular container of crumbled feta, and half the roasted chickpeas. Mix it all up, taste it. If it needs more of any element, toss it in. When it's good, put it in a serving dish and pile on another handful each of cranberries & pistachios, another third of a container of feta, and the rest of the chickpeas. That's it. You've got yourself a delicious summer side dish. I like it best served at room temp, but it's great cold, too.

Let me know if you try it!